Welcome back to my blog. This month I have been exploring how the maternal pelvis facilitates childbirth and what an amazing design nature has given us!
Pelvic Movement During Pregnancy and Labour To Facilitate Birthing
Movement and mobility of the maternal pelvis has been an age-old debate over the centuries. The question of how a baby can fit through a small bony pelvis has been a question, which can be traced back to Hippocrates who believed that the pubic bones separated during a woman’s first labour.
Since then many studies have been carried out and the general consensus is that there is some pelvic movement in the sacrum and sacro-iliac joints during the latter part of pregnancy and labour. In conjunction with this is the effect of a woman’s position during labour, and it is likely that pelvic enlargement is enhanced if a birthing position is adopted that allows your sacrum to be free!
How does movement and positioning in labour help?
Movement and positioning in labour can work magic to help a slow labour. Movement may also enhance comfort by stimulating the receptors in the brain that decrease pain perception. Ultimately, your movement in response to your contractions may decrease pain and facilitate labour – a win-win situation! Movement also helps the baby move down through the pelvis, and some positions may help to enlarge pelvic diameters.
The good news is that you can start the process during the second trimester of pregnancy to optimize fetal positioning, which can also assist with the movements of birthing. All fours, crawling and stretching, and kneeling over a birthing ball, are similar positions that actually assist the baby with the movements of birth. Making your belly the perfect hammock can help prepare your baby’s position for childbirth, and make progress for your birth.
In most cases this works a treat, but sometimes a posterior position can be persistent, as my own daughter found during her pregnancy and labour! When this happens other techniques such as Rebozo sifting (a Mexican method using a large shawl) can be employed with some assistance required from your partner in most cases to achieve a change in fetal positioning.
Pelvic Tilts (cat position) and Crawling
Hands and knees position with pelvic tilts (cat-cow) and crawling are useful exercises for both strengthening and relaxing the pelvis.
The abdomen becomes a hammock for the baby, and because the baby’s spine is the heaviest part it rotates with gravity round to the front of your abdomen. Crawling adds movement to the joints of the pelvis.
The pelvic tilt, performed on hands-and-knees, is good to relax and release the lower back after a long day. This gentle rocking exercise keeps the pelvic joints loose, too.
When to do the pelvic tilt?
• Any time during pregnancy for maternal positioning with gravity and movement.
• After a long day working to release tension.
• For a baby in the posterior position, especially when the baby is active.
• For any fetal position because its comforting for you.
Any time after 34 weeks, get into position for the pelvic tilt when baby is actively kicking and moving around. Do a few minutes of pelvic tilts. When your baby is active there is a chance his or her intention is to find a better, more comfortable fit with the brim of the pelvis.
How to do a pelvic tilt
To do a pelvic tilt on hands and knees, lift your lower back up towards the ceiling. Imagine that a rope helps you lift your lower back. Don't arch your shoulders. That's not the part that counts. Then straighten your back.
Don't dip your lower back like a sway back horse. That might strain your muscles in pregnancy. Switch from curling your lower back to straightening it rhythmically. Put music on if you like. Do 10 movements of each to start with and build up to 40 or so. When you have finished your cat stretches, get up slowly so you don't get a head rush.
When not to do a pelvic tilt
If your wrists are too sore, or knees hurt, see if you can support yourself by leaning over an exercise ball, or the back of a couch, for your wrists, or pillow under your knees. You could try this while side lying, standing, and even, with subtle movements, on your back slightly tilted to the left and with your knees bent.
In summary, working with your body and tuning in to the changes necessary to facilitate childbirth may help women to relieve backache during pregnancy and achieve their desire for a very natural birth experience.
Professional advice and courses for prospective parents wishing to pursue natural and pain free options for pregnancy and childbirth with Hypnobirthing, hypnotherapy and antenatal education.
